Gaza. US vetoes Security Council resolution demanding ceasefire

A resolution, authored by the United Arab Emirates and supported by almost a hundred member states, was rejected with one vote against from the United States (permanent member, with veto power), 13 in favor and one abstention (United Kingdom) .

The Americans, allies of Israel, vetoed today for the 35th time, since 1970, a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian issue (out of a total of 39), according to the France Press agency (AFP), thus repeating their rejection to a ceasefire.

“We do not support a resolution that calls for an unsustainable ceasefire, which will simply plant the seeds of the next war”, explained the US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, also denouncing the “moral failure” of the lack of a conviction specific in the text of the October 7th attacks perpetrated by Hamas.

Wood also said that the project was “hasty”, “unbalanced and divorced from reality”, and criticized the fact that North American recommendations were “ignored” during the consultation process.

The British ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, also said she could not support a resolution that did not condemn the terrorist attacks by the Islamist group.

“We cannot vote in favor of a resolution that does not condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians on October 7th. Calling for a ceasefire ignores the fact that Hamas committed acts of terror and still holds civilians hostage “, he argued.

The draft resolution – now rejected – expressed “grave concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population”, stressed that “the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations should be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law ” and demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the guarantee of humanitarian access.

The representative of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed Abshahab, lamented that, with this vote, “the Council remains isolated and therefore appears disconnected from its own founding document”.

“What message are we sending to the Palestinians if we cannot unite behind an appeal to stop the incessant bombings and attacks in Gaza?”, asked the diplomat.

The vote took place after Guterres invoked on Wednesday, for the first time since becoming secretary-general, article 99 of the United Nations Charter, asking the Security Council, the only UN body whose decisions are binding, which would “avoid a humanitarian catastrophe” in the enclave and approve a ceasefire.

This morning, at a Security Council meeting, Guterres reiterated these calls and explained that he invoked article 99 of the United Nations Charter due to the “breaking point” in Gaza, denouncing the high risk of “total collapse of the system humanitarian support”.

“There is clearly, in my opinion, a serious risk of worsening existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security”, warned Guterres, further denouncing that “there is no effective protection of civilians”.

“The eyes of the world — and the eyes of history — are watching. It’s time to act,” he appealed.

The UN leader stressed that, although Hamas’ indiscriminate launch of rockets against Israel and the use of civilians as human shields constitute a violation of the laws of war, such conduct “does not absolve Israel of its own violations.”

Despite calls from Guterres and the international community, the United States has explicitly opposed a ceasefire.

“By continuing to provide weapons and diplomatic protection to Israel, which is committing atrocities (…), the United States runs the risk of becoming an accomplice in war crimes,” reacted Louis Charbonneau, from the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch, in a press release.

[Notícia atualizada às 22h42]

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